Post 22-ancestors of the west

Religion. 

1. Zoroastrianism

2. After Persia was conquered by the Greek general Alexander the Great in 328 BC aspects of Persian culture spread far and wide

3. He had an astonishing religious experience. An angle appeared to him and brought him before Ahura Mazda the wise lord. He recognized him as one true god. He went around preaching the message of monotheism to society

4. Gathas are the oldest part of the sacred text, the Avesta

5. He is eternal and a universal goodness, controlling the cosmos and the destiney of human beings 

6. The belief if universal forces of good and evil

7. Zoroastrianism theology the one god Ahura Mazda who is universal goodness is oppose by lie depicted by Zarathustra as an evil cosmic force 

8. The dualism of Zoroastrianism unites ethics with human destiny

9. Humans determine their own destiny by choosing either truth goodness and life or falsehood evil and not life. It's the basis of Zoroastrianism

10. It's most important and influential features

11. Most of the worlds Zoroastrianism now live in India where they are known as Parsis

12. The Iliad and the odyssey

13. Of human form characteristics of the dirties of ancient Greek and roman religion

14. He portrayed Zeus as ruling with order and justice 

15. A shrine or sanctuary which the revelations of a god are received; Delphi 

16. Choose to become initiates, experience a personal encounter with the dirty gained spiritual renewal. 

17. Demeter 

18. God of fertility depicted with vines and grapes. Turned water into wine. 

19. To lead a pure life the rough vegetarianism so that te soul might eventually escape the body and fully realize its divine. 

20. Reincarnation. 

21. Platos perspective that true reality consists of eternal an perfects forms or ideas and tht the material world is an imperfect reflection of the worlds forms. 

22. Bother were called savior. They both healed people. 

23. Supernatural powers that were ancient roman equilibrium of dirties 

24. Jupiter 

25. Venus, mars, Neptune, mercury, Saturn. 

26. Pax decorum was believed to help ensure the welfare of the roman state which this maintained official worship practices. 

27. Eleusinian. 

28. Osirs was killed and hacked into pieces by his brother, Isis searched far an wide and finally found his body parts she mummified which brought him back to life. 

29. He encouraged the worship of not himself but if his guardian spirit. 

30. The Christians had obvious reasons for refusing to worship in behalf of the emperor. But mostly because they only believed in 1 god. 

Post # 21 Judaism Questions

Megan
World Religion - 6
March 10, 2013

1. House of Study; House of Assembly; House of Prayer
2. Looking around the synagogue you will see the eastern wall, where the aron ha-kodesh  is located.
- The ark is the repository for the Torah scrolls when they are not in use. It also serves as the focus for one's prayers. Above the ark is located the ner tamid--the eternal light--recalling the eternal light in the Temple.
-  The scrolls themselves are covered by cloth mantles (covers) elabo­rately designed on the front. These mantles are open at the bottom and closed at the top except for the two openings that enclose the rollers. This and the other objects described below are considered holy and, once again, are never discarded when worn out. Often there are a number of other objects decorating the Torah.
- The 10 commandments come from Moses in the desert when the Israelites escaped Egypt.
3. A Jewish scholar or teacher, esp. one who studies or teaches Jewish law.
How to become a Rabbi:

  -There is some form of admission process that often includes testing, both psychological and subject competence
- One has to complete a minimum of 4 years of college
- The major differences between the institutions are the various emphases - Talmud, philosophy,Hebrew, history, Bible, etc. even though there are minimum requirements in each subject area plus a variety of practical Rabbinics, pastoral psychology, etc.
 - A minimum of 5-6 years and also one year in Israel, especially to develop a relationship with Israel and familiarity with Hebrew as a living language
 - Graduation or ordination is essentially the same kind of ceremony with various kinds of certification or diplomas. I chose to have all of my teachers sign my diploma, and while it took some time to receive, I am very glad as most are no longer living except in my heart and mind - and I miss them
 - Some Seminaries or yeshivot also require an internship to gain some practical experience
 - Some movements require a new graduate to start with a small congregation in order to learn all of the various elements of congregational or institutional life before moving up to a large congregation, UNLESS one takes an assistant position in a larger congregation which is much more narrow in function. 

4. Shabbat is primarily a day of rest and spiritual enrichment. The word "Shabbat" comes from the root Shin-Bet-Tav, meaning to cease, to end, or to rest; Every 7th day?
5.  First five books of the bible, no old testament in Judaism, but if there was this would be it....
6.
Orthodox: Believe God gave them the Whole Torah; 5 million people
Reform: Promotion of moral law and monotheism. Services done in English;
Conservative: Services vary considerably; Some Conservative synagogues are similar to Reform, while others are close to Orthodox. There are some 800 Conservative synagogues, with some 1.5 million members, in North America. The 1990 National Jewish Population Survey found 38% of American Jews are Conservative. The Conservative movement in Great Britain and Israel calls itself Masoreti, meaning "traditional" in Hebrew.
Zionist: Theodore Hertzl, anti-sentiment; Historically, some Orthodox Jews had opposed Zionism because the Messiah had not appeared. But there were many religious Zionists as well. At the turn of the century, early waves of Zionists began settling in Palestine. The British Balfour Declaration of 1917 gave their cause international legitimacy. Zionists helped rescue Jews from the Nazis. The Holocaust increased support for a Jewish homeland, which was declared in 1948.
7. Hebrew: Hebrew is a member of the Canaanite group of Semitic languages. It was the language of the early Jews, but from 586 BC it started to be replaced by Aramaic.
8. Yiddish was the primary language of Ashkenazic Jews in the shtetl, found throughout eastern and central Europe. One of the Germanic languages, Yiddish is written in Hebrew characters.
9.
a) Congratulations
b) Hello
c)  ?
10.
a) Ceremony of circumcision
b) "Age of responsibility to the commandments"
c) Marriage is considered a natural and desirable state of adult life because it provides companionship and security
11.
a) "first of the year." jewish new year
b) Yom Kippur is probably the most important holiday of the Jewish year. Many Jews who do not observe any other Jewish custom will refrain from work, fast and/or attend synagogue services on this day. Yom Kippur occurs on the 10th day of Tishri.
c)
d)
12. The idea of the Torah
13. I think it was the requirements of a Rabbi
14. Having holidays like the ones above are kinda like the ones we have.
15. The Idea of Rabbi's lol

Blog post #20 Buddhism Questions

Buddhism Questions;

1. Siddhartha Gautama was the man who would later become the Buddha.

2. The four passing sights were an old man, a sick man, a corpse and a wondering ascetic. The first three sights were significant and showed the Buddha about reality of suffering and the impermanent nature of life's pleasures. The fourth sight filled Siddhartha with elation and hope: here was a means of over coming his despair.

3.The middle way is a basic Buddhist doctrine and teaching that rejects both the pleasures of sensual indulgence and the self denial of asceticism, focusing instead on a particular approach to spiritual attainment.

4. Gautama had overcome the distractions of fear and passion, represented in legends by Mara and his daughters. He ascended through levels of ever deepening awareness, until he could perceive with perfect clarity the true nature of the human condition.

5. Sangha is the Buddhist community of monks and nuns; it is also one of the three jewels of Buddhism.

6. The Buddha, the Dharma, and and the Sangha.

7. Buddhism and Hinduism both see time as cyclical. They both believe the universe is eternal. They both have this idea of samsara or the wheel of rebirth. 

8. Siddhartha hate the idea of the caste system and the brahman. Buddhists were accepting of women, as the Hindus did.

9. Anatta- "no-self"

Anicca- "impermanence"

Dukkha- "suufering"

10. Anatta means there is no reality within, no essence underlying existence  no eternal substratum that is truly real, enduring beyond the present moment. "the essences of Buddhism is that there is no essence"

11. Karma is actually reborn. The nature of rebirth depends on the status of one's karma.

12.

- Do not take life

- Do not take what is not given

- Do not engage in sensous misconduct

- Do not use false speech

- Do not drink intoxicants

Monks:

- Do not eat after noon.

- Do not watch dancing or shows.

- Do not use garlands, perfumes or ordaments

- Do not use a high or soft bed

-Do not accept gold or silver.

13."suffering" "frustration" "dislocation" "discomfort". Not being comfortable with life.

14. It is the second of the 4 Nobel truths, meaning selfish desire, which causes dukkha

15.  

-Right views

-Right intentions

-Right Speech

-Right conduct

-Right livelyhood

-Right effort

-Right mindfulness

-Right meditation

16. Buddha does not have a model for nirvana. Buddhists do.

17. One has become enlightened; the ideal type for Theravada Buddhists. 

18. "worthy one"

19. Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana.

20. It is the prevalent form of Buddhism in Cambodia; focus on the earliest texts and emphasize monastic lifestyles.

21."The great vehicle"

22. They are fire benders and love music. no Im kidding, lol they harness energy and turn it against self.

23. He is the leader of Buddhism, chosen by destiny!

24. Mostly east asia. china, cambodia, china, china, lol.

Maya and Aztec

Megan
World Religion

17 Jan 2013







1. Locations: Many Maya and Aztec cultures are still alive and flourishing today, located in territories like:  "Honduras and El Salvador through to Guatemala and Belize and north to Yucatán and southern Mexico. Maya regions are ecologically divided into three types of areas.  These are the southern lowlands, the northern lowlands, and the highlands/Pacific slope region. " Maya inhabit 2 different parts of Mexico, the lowlands and the high lands.
2.Cosmology of Maya:  "Mother Earth was created and destroyed three times before this world was made. It contains the mythological version of the creation of the world intertwined with historical facts, creation stories, cosmology, and the adventures of Hunahpu' and X'balanque, the Maya hero twins. According to the Popol Vuh, man was created with the help of Ixpiyakok and Ixmukane. Human beings were created and destroyed several times until, finally, the Creator made them from maize. After consulting with each other, the creator gods, decided to limit the vision and scope of human creatures." So I guess the Cosmology is the fact that the earth was created and destroyed three times and the Popol Vuh basically talks about what happened with this creation story.

3. Symbols: 
<--- earth (according to Maya); symbolized that there are larger forces at work and the transition involves patience.

<--- Rabbit (according to Aztec); Tochtli was a symbol for fertility. It was meant  to represent the goddess of fertility: Mayahuel

<--- storytelling and dance (According to Aztec); This image was a representation of Huehuecoyotl, who is the god of story telling and dance.











4. Aztec: "Coatepec, or Serpent Mountain, was one of the most sacred places of Aztec mythology and religion. Coatepec was the birthplace of the god Huitzilopochtli, and the place where the newly born god, fully armed, managed to kill his sister Coyolxauhqui when she attempted to kill their mother Coatlicue, with the help of her brothers, the Four Hundred Southerners" (Maestri).

Maya: Sacred Cenotes and the Chicxulub meteorite; (----->) 
5.Maya gods: 
good: Hunab Ku is the supreme diety or the creator god. The words actually mean "Only God," or "One God" which goes against the idea of polytheism because they do have more then one god, this one just seems to be of a superior stance. 
Ah Punh- Maya god Of death
Trickster- the Maya trickster was the figure of a rabbit who bagged gravel and sold it as hard yellow maize
Aztec gods:
Trickster: Tezcatlicopa who tried to convince people that canabalism was right I think?
Good: the sun god was most important, and its name was Huitzilopochtli. He was also the god of war.
Bad: Xolotl had backwards feetand caused man to fall into the underworld.
6.
7.Shaman are held very highly in both the Mayan and Aztec culture; they are healers by using the plant life that surrounded them, but also they were the only people who could communicate with the divine.
8. Ritual feasts were given in honor of the gods in Mayan culture. Aztec sacrifices were an important aspect of the Aztec religion. At the root of these Aztec rituals was the belief that the gods needed to be nourished by human beings. This was accomplished throughhuman blood. A part of the Aztec religion, therefore, was to participate in bloodletting, which is intentionally harming and drawing blood from the body.
9. Aztec Calender

Aztec people

Mayan Calender

Mayan People










Works Cited:

Aztec Symbols." Aztec Symbols. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.

 Maestri, Nicoletta. "Coatepec." About.com Archaeology. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.

"Maya Sacred Sites." Maya Sacred Sites. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.

 "Mayan Symbols." Mayan Symbols. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.

 "Overview of Maya and Aztec Civilizations." Overview of Maya and Aztec Civilizations. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.

Buddhism

Megan
Mr. Sanchez
February 10 2013

Intro: 
Buddhism allows one to understand the true nature of reality. Buddhism uses meditation, which develops qualities like awareness, kindness and wisdom. It is not a religion of a western view, for there is no real "god" or thing to be worshiped. 
Teachings:

There is constant change in Buddhism, and it takes advantage of this. Through meditation, Buddhists develop methods of working through the mind. 
Three Jewels:
The Buddha: The Buddha refers both to the historical Buddhaand Buddhahood. Going to refuge to Buddha is a symbol of your devotion and you see him as the ultimate teacher and spiritual example. 
The Dharma: is the primary teaching of the Buddha, or how he understood things. It means truth. They include records of Buddha's life. it is the practices outlined within scripture. 
The Sangha: The spiritual community. It is people who share in the same spiritual lives. this goes to the idea of Buddhism being a way of approaching life.
The Three Fold Way: there are three stages: Ethics, Meditation, and Wisdom. Another formulation of the path is the Threefold Way of ethics, meditation, and wisdom. This is a progressive path, as ethics and a clear conscience provides an indispensable basis for meditation, and meditation is the ground on which wisdom can develop.
The 4 Noble Truths: All existence is dukkha. The word dukkha has been variously translated as ‘suffering’, ‘anguish’, ‘pain’, or ‘unsatisfactoriness’. The Buddha’s insight was that our lives are a struggle, and we do not find ultimate happiness or satisfaction in anything we experience. This is the problem of existence. The cause of dukkha is craving. The natural human tendency is to blame our difficulties on things outside ourselves. But the Buddha says that their actual root is to be found in the mind itself. In particular our tendency to grasp at things (or alternatively to push them away) places us fundamentally at odds with the way life really is. The cessation of dukkha comes with the cessation of craving. As we are the ultimate cause of our difficulties, we are also the solution. We cannot change the things that happen to us, but we can change our responses.  There is a path that leads from dukkha. Although the Buddha throws responsibility back on to the individual he also taught methods through which we can change ourselves, for example the Noble Eightfold Path.

The Buddha’s ‘Noble Eightfold Path’ is a further ‘unpacking’ of the ‘Threefold Way’ and is perhaps the most widely known of the Buddha’s teachings. It is ancient, extending back to the Buddha’s first discourse and is highly valued as a treasury of wisdom and practical guidance on how to live our lives. Traditionally the teaching is seen as highlighting eight areas or ‘limbs’ of ‘right’ practice (Sangharakshita prefers ‘perfect’ to ‘right’), which sit in mutual relationship to one other and are each essential elements in an integrated approach to the Dharma:

1.      Right Understanding or Perfect Vision

2.      Right Resolve or Perfect Emotion

3.      Right Speech or Perfect Speech

4.      Right Action or Perfect Action

5.      Right Livelihood or Perfect Livelihood

6.      Right Effort or Perfect Effort

7.      Right Mindfulness or Perfect Awareness

8.      ​Right Meditation or Perfect Samadhi

Hinduism Chapter Review

Megan
World Religions
26 January 2013

1. Moksha is the Liberation or release of the individual self, atman, from the bondage of samsara; salvation; one of the four goals of life.
2. Monism is the belief that that says all reality is one. the analogy that helps us understand this is the idea that rivers, lakes and ponds are distinctive, yet they share a common essence; all are made of water. there is similarity in all the gods. all the gods are a form of Brahman.
3.Atman is the eternal self, which the Upanishads identify with Brahman; it is the eternal Self or soul of an individual that is reincarnated from one body to the next and is ultimately identified with Atman. Brahman is the eternal essence of reality and the source of the universe beyond the reach of human perception and thought.
4. they are extensions of the ultimate reality.
5. The wheel of rebirth or reincarnation; the worldly realm in which rebirth occurs.
6. Bhagavad-Gita
7. Karma and Dharma are the two principles that connect the divine to the world. Karma is pleasure especially of senual love and is one of the 4 goals of life; it is basically that every action has a reaction; dharma is the set of morals or ethical duties based on the divine order of reality in order to reach moksha.
8.The four caste systems are the Brahmin which are the priest, the Kshatriya which are warriors and administrators, the Vaishya which are the farmers, merchants, and artisans, and the Shurdra which are servants and laborers.
9. he encourages him to participte in thewar because he was born a Kshatriya, which is a worrier, so it was his sacred duty to follow the caste he was in, and that would mean to fight.
10.
      1. student
      2.householder
      3. birth of first grandchild
      4.sannyasin
11.
      1. Senual pleasure (karma)
      2. Material Pleasure (artha)
      3. Harmony with Dharma (principle of ethical duty)
      4. The Bliss of Mosksha ( Infinite being, awareness and bliss)
12.
      1. Karma Marga (for the active)
      2. Jnana Marga ( For the Philosophical)
      3. Bhakiti Marga (for the Emotional)
13.
      1. Vendanta- prevents one from experiencing the truth
      2. Sankhya- teaches importance for the religion Jainism and Buddhism, and to underlie the hindu approach of yoga
      3. Yoga- emphasizes physical and psychological practices
14. Brahman is the creator, Vishnu is the protector and Shiva is the destroyer.
15. an incarnation. Krishina and Rama are avatars.
16. The Bhagavad-Gita
17.holy places, household and village rituals, cow veneration
18. said all wisdom lights the way to divine
19. goverment forbade discrimination.
20. burning a widow after her husband dies, it was outlawed in the 1800s  but happens in rare occasions.
21. creation of Pakistan.

Primal Religions Chapter Review

Megan
World Religions
23 January 2013

1. Because Christians believe anything before them is incomplete and uncivilised (primal) and anything after them is heresy.
2. 2. The ansestors created landscapes different from those who had previously been there. there were specific languages and rules.

3. spiritual essence

4. taboo is like the prohibition of certain behaviors because of the fear of the spiritual powers that come with them. Totems are natural entity that is a symbol of an individual with importance to a specific religion.

5. ritual is important for life if it is to have meaning. And this is found through Dreaming that can be experienced.

6. ritual originated from past ansestors who created the world through dreaming. These are basically reenactments of myths.

7. Initiation rituals awaken young people to the spiritual identity and redefine their social identify in a tribe.

8. Circumcision and the two lower middle teeth being knocked out

9. Nigeria, Benin and togo

10.Yoruba believe that Orish-nla began creating the world here.

11. Yoruba cosmological view of the world depicts reality being divided into two separate worlds which were heaven and earth. Human beings are descended from gods and earth is also populated by deviant forms of human beings call witches and sorcerers who can cause chaos. The purpose of this religion is to maintain balance between the gods and humans and also to keep the sorcerers and witches from doing evil deeds.

12. He is the God of Yoruba and is the major source of th

13. 

14. One Orisha is Orish-nla and Yoruba believe that he created the earth. Another one is Ogun, the god of war and iron who was once a human but then died and became a god.

15.15  A trickster figure is a type of supernatural being who tends to disrupt the normal course of life.

16.  Family ancestors gained supernatural status by earning a good reputation and living to an old age. They are worshiped by their own families.  Diefied ancestors were important human figures in Yoruba society who are now worshiped in large numbers.

17.  The role of ritual practitioners is to mediate between the gods and ancestors in heaven, and human beings on earth.

18.  Divination is the use of various techniques for gaining knowledge about an individual’s future or about the cause of a problem. Divination is important because knowledge of one’s future is essential for determining how to proceed in one’s life.

19. Human being came to North America either 20,000 or 30,000 years ago by migrating from Asia to the Bering Strait. They gradually spread out and inhibited both North and South America.

20.  because their religion represents Native American religion in general.

21.  Wakan Tanka is the Lakota name for supreme reality and means most sacred. Wakan Tanka represents sixteen separate deities.

22.  Inktomi means spider and is the Lakota trickster figure taught the first human beings their ways and customs.

23.  The Lakota believe that when someone dies one of their four souls goes on a journey along the spirit path of the Milky Way. The soul is judged and either becomes an ancestor or a ghost on earth. The remaining parts of the soul are reborn into new bodies.

24.  The primary goal of a vision quest is for an individual to gain spiritual power to ensure greater success in hunting and warfare.

25.  A sweat lodge is a dark hut made of saplings and covered in animal skins. The Lakota built it to represent the universe and they believe the sweating leads to purification.

26.  The vision arrives in the form of an animal, an object, or a force nature. A message is often communicated in these visions and the individual tells the medicine man who then explains the vision.

27. "women with outstanding moral character"

28. Connects heaven and earth like a tree. Cottonwood tree.

29. its the only thing they actually own, and therefore is the only sacrifice suitable for the supreme being.

30.  a) highly developed/populated.b) interrelationships between myth and rituals was like other religions.

31. Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

32. Quetalcoatl; Teotihuacan

33. He was god's earthly devotee and was a priest king. he is significant  because the Aztecs believed he was the ruler or preside of the Golden Age and was the perfect role model for authority figures.

34. Age of the Fifth Sun; they anticipated the sun being destroyed like the other suns.

35. they thought it had four quarters coming from the center of the universe and this connected the earthly world to the spiritual/heavenly world.

36. because the head and the heart are reguarded as potent for the nourishment for the sun and the cosmos. it creates a link between the earthly and heavenly realms.

37. He could communicate with the gods and make offerings through language which was an alternate to sacrafice.

38. in 1519 the Aztec king was suppose to return, but the spanish general came dressed in feathers and disappointed them because the Cortex (who was the general) began to conqure them.

39. during the celebration modern day Aztecs set aside time to preform the rituals that the antient Aztecs use to practice.

40. Nature of religion-secular and sacred things are not separate; change; supernatural and human worlds have a fuzzy line between them and are easily crossed.